Hypothetically, if some of these companies start just making little steam machine style computers, with their own Linux distro and themes and etc, do you think they would sell? Like the mini-retro console craze from a few years ago, but just modern computers.
Sell them basically as a console, in this case maybe default to Sega’s store, but it’s still just a Linux PC. Install steam if you want. But out of the box it looks and feels like a sega console. And maybe just promise that it’ll play any game they make for the next 10 years. Which really wouldn’t be much of a promise, just a defined “minimum specs” target for them.
Sega still has a lot of fans, which is why I think something like that could work for them, and it’s way less commitment than making their own walled garden console like they used to do. They wouldn’t be competing for exclusives or even work with other devs and publishers for ports. Just a fun themed pc to get some sega hardware out there again.
justsomeguy@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
If the hardware market wasn’t so bonkers they might do that but that’s not the reality we live in.
kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
Oh yeah, now would be a terrible time to do something like that. But when* the hardware market chills out
Guitar@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
If they make physical exclusive games, unique hardware, and at a decent price, maybe. But if they essentially just make a Sega branded Steam Machine, I see no point. If a console does nothing to differentiate itself from the rest of the market, there’s no reason to really get it over a PC.
That’s the problem Xbox is having and is the same one Playstation is about to have when it drops the disc drive. Look at what Xbox did with the ROG ally. Instead of making an actual unique Xbox device, they just took something that already existed and slapped their branding on it. What reason would anyone ever really have to go for that instead of a less restricted option for cheaper?
kahjtheundedicated@lemmy.world 32 minutes ago
The Xbox is almost the exact opposite of what I’m talking about, and I think that’s their problem. There’s nothing special about it, it has no exclusives, and it doesn’t have access to the practically infinite number of pc games, mods, emulators, etc.
So what I’m proposing is just a prebuilt pc. A prebuilt pc with a unique case, distro, and maybe a cartridge slot of some description. And with the cultural cache of a company like sega, I think it could easily earn its spot as a prebuilt living room gaming and media pc, much like the steam machine.